Mister Other Onceler and his Successful Invention
by clautchy
Summary: As The Once-ler submits to breaking his promise by allowing the Truffula trees to be cut down, a confident, proud and greedy doppelganger begins to take over the Once-ler's life. WARNING: Oncest: smut and profanity in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

"Well, and this _just_ came to me, we could always start choppin' down the trees."

"What?" asked a hesitant Once-ler, sitting up tentatively in his work chair to peer out the window, only to see his scrawny Uncle Ubb wheel a large wooden cart that was overflowing with harvested Truffula tufts.

"Now you're thinkin'!" he yelled out, having overheard their short conversation, "That would speed things up!" His tight-lipped mother nodded her head in agreement, giving him that look that meant he had no choice.

"But –"

"No buts, Oncie," his mother scolded with the honey-sweet tone of hers, "You're runnin' a business now; you have to do what's best for the company, and your mama!" she inclined her head towards him encouragingly, waiting for his agreement. Of course, she knew she would make him agree to it eventually – she _was_ his mama after all – but to avoid later controversy when the company really got going, it was best to avoid any sort of family push that may put her in a bad light.

"Oh. I guess it couldn't hurt to cut down _a few_ trees..." he bit on the end of his pen nervously, giving her a weak smile, "Heh."

It was easier than she thought, and she returned the smile, holding out her arms. _Of course she was happy._ Having this permission now gave her complete control, and she knew it would be mere weeks before she was dining with only the best and drinking the most expensive, "You make me so proud, Oncie! Come here!" she jumped up to his height and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

Uncle Ubb appeared from behind her, pointing, "Hey, I love this guy!"

Oncie realised what he had just done. He could hear his brothers pick up an axe each and saw from the corner of his eye a tall Truffula tree fall down the ground. Then he saw another, and another, and _another. _He gulped but his mouth was suddenly dry. And just as he began to regret his decision, the Lorax and faithful guardian of the trees was running down the hill as fast as his little legs could carry him only to be stopped right in his tracks by his large aunt, stabbing a pitchfork into the soft grass in front of him. She grabbed the Lorax by his scruff and picked him up, holding the animal as far away from her face as possible while he flailed and struggled, "Excuse me sir, I need to talk with your boss!" He gestured towards the window.

No. Not now. He wouldn't let the Lorax speak with him. Quickly, he stood up and rolled down the sheet that acted as a curtain to the window. Peeping out from the crack in the curtain, he watched the back of his aunt carry the Lorax away, "I'm sorry," she growled, "but Mister Once-ler isn't seeing anyone right now.

_What had he done?_ He drew the makeshift curtain across for the Lorax, "Well he'll see me- get your paws off me!"

"Give me a reason, shortie!"

"Hey!" The Lorax yelled out when he spotted the Once-ler, "You broke your promise! You're better than this! You gotta stop! This is _bad!_"

But the Once-ler didn't listen. He closed his curtain, upset. _Bad_? He asked the small duckling that seemed rather content on the head of his guitar and it quacked in agreement - in agreement to the Once-ler, or to the Lorax, however, was unknown but the Once-ler took it positively, "_Thank you_!" he sighed heavily, "I mean, something good, finally happens to me, and he just has to come along and rain on my parade. What's his problem?"

_Quack. _

"See?" he strummed a few chords on his guitar, standing up after the duckling hopped off onto the wooden desk. He glanced into his mirror to find his own reflection looking back. It chuckled back at him, "_Yeah, bad_."

_~later~_

It was late at night and as well as sleeping being a natural habit of the human body, collecting germs was another. To prevent the odour a bath was in order. The Once-ler happily relaxed in his bath, confident that his plans were going according to plan. What could possibly go wrong? All the money that would pile in; the possibilities were endless.

After he was adequately washed, he drained the basin and stepped out, rubbing a towel over his dripping body. Hooking the towel back up onto the wall he slipped into his favourite pair of bunny pyjamas and combed his hair quickly then exited the bathroom.

_Stop_.

"Good evening, pretty," a voice that matched only the Once-ler's purred.

But how?

The Once-ler was unable to form any coherent words, staring at the identical body of himself. Who was, quite visibly, _naked_. On _his_ bed. He cleared his throat nervously, embarrassed at the sight of his own body seen without shame. Despite this person somehow being the same, the Once-ler still felt uncomfortable having his privates out in the open. Even if it was just his bedroom.

"A bit distracted?" the Other Once-ler raised an eyebrow with a teasing smirk, "Would you prefer I wear clothes?"

"Y-yeah," the Once-ler stammered, realising his cheeks had turned a deep shade of red, "They... they're in the top drawer; I'll... I'll turn around," he faced the bathroom door with a sharp turn, gnawing on his bottom lip as he tried to process the exact situation he found himself in. He didn't understand it.

He heard a laugh from behind him but the Other Once-ler dressed himself anyway, having found himself a pair of grey pants and a simple white shirt, "I'm done," he announced softly, sitting himself back down on the bed.

"G-good," the Once-ler turned around slowly, frowning, trying to find the right words to say. Or rather, the right questions.

"I suppose you're confused," the Other Once-ler assumed, almost like he knew exactly what the Once-ler was thinking.

"Well, yes," he agreed cautiously, keeping his distance. Whoever this person was, there had to be some catch. How on earth could this Other Once-ler _be_ him? It made no sense!

"Then sit," the Other Once-ler patted a spot beside him, a pat that seemed awfully suggestive for someone who was supposed to be the same person. The Once-ler narrowed his eyes but sat down reluctantly, keeping a good foot between them.

The Other Once-ler caught his eye, a spark of amusement flashing in his irises. Of course, he couldn't blame the Once-ler for being so confused at a predicament such as this. It was not every day did a doppelganger appear naked in someone's bed, their position suggesting a sexual connotation that one would not like to pursue; that is, someone with common decency and morals.

Feeling uncomfortable from the Other Once-ler's gaze and the strange, confident nature that reverberated off him, the Once-ler straightened his back and opened his mouth to speak, "Why do you look like me?"

"Because I'm you, idiot."

The harsh and blunt reply confused him more. Was _he_ this rude? He didn't think so; so how could this person who blatantly differed in personality be him?

"But... _how?_" he asked desperately, seeking for answers that were proving themselves difficult to obtain.

"You cut down a tree. You broke your promise, _you _put your wants over your morals, and well, the young carefree you doesn't agree with that. Not one bit."

The Once-ler snorted, sceptic, "What, so my mind split into two, did it?" he laughed at the idea, an idea that seemed completely preposterous. So he cut down a tree or two – _and_? He was doing what was best for the company, wasn't he? He was making his family proud and amounting to great things, _wasn't he_? So why did he suddenly feel a great deep pit in the bottom of his stomach that gurgled unhappily with guilt and regret?

"Conscience, whatever. Sure," his doppelganger agreed, "I don't know. I just woke up here. But I have a good feeling that when the money starts rolling in, it won't be just you that's the head of the company. You'll have to make room for the real deal."

"And the real deal is referring to you?" the Once-ler guessed tonelessly.

The Other Once-ler gave him a wicked grin, "Of course. The public wants a confident and smart figure. They don't want the country bumpkin from the middle of nowhere managing their produce. Doesn't really send off the right message, does it?"

"You can't force me out of my own company!" the Once-ler snapped angrily, standing up. He faced the Other Once-ler and jabbed his sternum roughly, "This was all of my own work, and I put all the effort in to get this far! I won't have some delusional figment-of-my-imagination creep telling me what to do!"

The Other Once-ler only smiled gently at him, but it held a hidden emotion underneath, something that the Once-ler couldn't quite pick out, and it only infuriated him more, "Shut up!"

"I didn't say anything."

"I know! Get off my bed!" he shouted, stamping his foot, "Let me sleep!"

He laughed and did the exact opposite of what he was told to do. Instead, he crawled up to the headboard and pulled down the covers, slipping into the bed himself. He glanced down at the small space that he had left, "We can sleep together. There's nothing wrong with that. We're the same person, so sleeping with yourself is really quite normal."

The Once-ler stared at him for a few long seconds, deciding whether to take up on his offer or to crash on the sofa instead. His bed was an extremely inviting piece of furniture but it seemed less so when there was someone to share it with.

No, that was wrong. He would like to share the night with someone, but that someone had to be special; someone he truly cared for and loved. But sharing it with an identical replica?

Sighing, he gave in and slipped in between the bed sheets, his pyjama bottoms rubbing against the other's pants. The bed was so narrow the accommodated space only allowed very little distance between the pair and so the Once-ler found himself almost touching noses with the other, and so close that he could feel the warm breath across his face.

The Other Once-ler watched him with half-closed eyes, the mischievous smile never leaving his face, like he had planned something that Once-ler wasn't supposed to know about. But he didn't care about that now and his eyelids slowly closed, the blurred image of his doppelganger fading to black.

He would never admit it out loud, but he had to admit that he was comfortable,_ happy_, even. To feel someone else in the same bed, their rhythmic heartbeat copying yours, and their breath quiet and familiar, was a treat that he enjoyed and liked. Plus, snuggling a person definitely beat a barbaloot.

But this was temporary. It would all change soon, wouldn't it? Yes, of course it would.

Why was he even worrying? This was the same person. He was the boss and he had total control. He was going to tell this Once-ler, this, _Greed-ler_, who was in charge and who was running the place. If he had gotten this far then he certainly didn't need any more help, especially not from himself. And not from someone who claimed to be a split being of his soul because of breaking some meaningless promise.

People broke promises every day, even the ones sworn by the little finger. So why would this one be any different? He said he would cut down only a few trees, right? What could possibly go wrong?

_Nothing. _Everything's going to be just fine.

* * *

**AN: **Because I absolutely adore this fandom despite its apparent creepiness, I'm going to keep the fandom going by writing this giant Oncest story that will include **fifteen chapters**. Don't you worry about a lack of updates; I've written out a plan for each chapter and know exactly what I'm doing. This writing style I've done is also simple and lacks detailed descriptions, so therefore is going to be quite a breeze to write. I can write each chapter within an hour.

**Please give me feedback** for the introduction and set up to the story. This story is simply going to detail the relationship of Once-ler and Greed-ler as they progress through time, and I am going to try and keep 'innocent' Once-ler as close to character as possible so he doesn't turn out to be a whiny uke. There will be smut, love, anger and angst. Interactions between family members and the Lorax, and more.

Hope you all enjoy~ Claudia x


	2. Chapter 2

The Once-ler was finding it difficult to manage his new business, as well as a new member that was so persistent in taking over his life. He proved to be more of a problem than anything else. Sometimes he was even worse than the Once-ler's mother, and his mama could get _nasty_.

He had realised quickly that his family would catch on if they were to find two of the same people in two different places, so he tried to keep his new friend indoors as much as possible. His brothers, mama, uncle and aunt preferred to sleep in the RV, which made concealing the Other Once-ler easier. He could keep him in his own tent, but the problem was keeping him in it. The Other Once-ler was so keen on getting outside and surveying the forests. One time – before the Once-ler had banned outside walks through the day for the Other Once-ler – his doppelganger had pointed to a clearing upon a hill, not cleared by deforestation but by nature. Somehow, this elevated piece of land had steered clear of the Truffula trees, and what was the Other Once-ler's first impression?

"It'd make a good place for a better office."

A better office? The Once-ler asked what he meant but only received a laugh in reply. Was he being mocked? It certainly felt like it. Wasn't the tent good enough? He loved that tent, but after the Other Once-ler appeared it did feel like it was teetering on the small side. And his office chair was beginning to bend back. It was old. It needed to be replaced.

What was a bonus was that despite the Other Once-ler's confident and sometimes invading-personal-space personality, he certainly knew business. He was a huge help, and he knew his business would definitely succeed with him to back him up.

"Look, I gotcha these blueprints. Thought they might help," the Other Once-ler announced one afternoon, after the Once-ler had returned from a long lecture from his mama. She more or less was criticising him for not having final plans about the factory which desperately needed to be built for the consumer's demand. His eyes lit up. Blueprints?

"Can I see?" he asked, and the blueprints were put in his hands. There were four in all. Three of them were detailed sketches of the future factory, and he had to admit, it couldn't have looked more perfect. It was exactly what he needed. He looked up and smiled widely, "Thank you. Really. This is great."

The Other Once-ler cracked him a grin, "I know. But have a look at the last blueprint. You haven't looked at that yet."

Frowning, the Once-ler pulled out the final blueprint and realised what he meant about the bigger office. Well, from the drawing, he could tell it certainly was _big_. And by big, he didn't just mean big. By big, he meant _humongous! _This office wasn't just an office but a complete _mansion_, looking like a place for an immensely powerful and wealthy person would reside in.

"What do you think?" the Other Once-ler looked proud of himself, "I've got a great plan for the actual office, too. Has this open balcony, and it will look across the forest. We'll be able to see our empire. And the furniture? _Oooh_, I got a great plan for those, too. Huge red velvet chair, its back so high it'll reach up to the ceiling! And we'll have a big chandelier. You know, you have to keep it a bit fancy for the big guns: all those corporate meetings they'll want with us."

He noted the way the Other Once-ler said _we _and _us_ but he knew deep down that he was referring to himself. Sometime down the track, he was going to try and push him out of the equation so it was just his ego able to rule the company. Well he could shove that idea down his throat because it wasn't going to happen. No, sir. He wasn't going to let some egotistical, proud nut take over his work, even if he did have the knowledge.

"How much will it cost to build?" the Once-ler asked tentatively. What he knew they would need soon was an accountant, at least. A secretary, too. But with the Other Once-ler currently obsessed with building the company, money wasn't his highest priority. Yet.

"A couple hundred thousand, give or take," he replied a little too casually for the Once-ler's liking, "But don't worry," he said quickly, noticing the Once-ler's faltering expression, "We'll bump up the price of the Thneeds. Add some kind of tax. With the demand so far, money won't be a problem. Trust me."

_Trust me._

He wasn't sure whether he had an option. His ulterior self was so held up in plans, he might as well have done it all himself. Sighing, he nodded with the Other Once-ler and smiled encouragingly at him, "Sure. We should start with the building as soon as possible. I'll get the blueprints to mama."

"Uh uh," he took a few steps towards Oncie and patted the tip of his nose teasingly, "I'll do it."

"But– "

"Don't you worry, Oncie," the Other Once-ler snickered, mocking the voice of their mother, "She won't notice a thing. We're the same person, remember?"

The Once-ler snorted, "Only in appearance."

"Shut your trap. I'm a far better version, anyway. Look, I'll show her the blueprints. I'll be able to get more things done, much better than you can."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The Once-ler yelped, offended.

"It means you should get the _fuck_ to bed," he hissed suddenly, very angry. The Once-ler hadn't heard him swear before, and it only made it so much worse to hear it in his very own voice. And from the tone of authority and the harshness he knew that he had to follow his orders. Almost scared, he nodded once and crossed the room, picking up his pyjamas hesitantly. The Other Once-ler watched him like a hawk, clutching onto the blueprints he had snatched from the Once-ler in his sudden rage and blinked, a signal that egged him on.

_Fucking change_.

Since his appearance, he had been changing clothes in the bathroom. Despite being the same person and having the same body, right down to the privates, he still felt insecure about changing in front of him. He could change in front of the woodland animals – even the Lorax – but himself? That was harder. Especially now, since he was so angry. Slowly, he unbuttoned the three buttons of his vest and slipped it off, folding it carefully. He did the same with his shirt, simultaneously kicking off his shoes and socks. He then took his hat off and placed it on his side table. Taking his pyjama shirt, he buttoned it up.

Now the pants.

With a scarlet blush making its way onto his cheeks, he grabbed hold of the waistband and pulled downwards, slipping his legs out as quick as he could. He couldn't help but notice the Other Once-ler's gaze resting somewhere lower on his body and he snatched his pyajama bottoms, pulling them on as fast as his long limbs allowed it. He stumbled halfway and the blush deepened.

It seemed like an age before his crotch was protected by the blue fabric with the yellow rabbits. He let out a sigh of relief and a little happier, climbed into bed. Much easier. He glanced to the Other Once-ler, whose wide grin stared back, "See you later tonight, Oncie," he purred.

Without another word, the Other Once-ler disappeared outside, into the dark. His stomach churned but he knew deep down that he would get the job done. It was going to be okay.

They were going to have a large factory and a beautiful office. It was going to be perfect.

As he drifted off to sleep, he could only think about one thing that eluded his mind.

He hadn't seen the Lorax since the day he cut down the first tree.

* * *

**AN:** I feel horrible, guys.

I should have been making lots of updates, and after weeks I give you this pile of rubbish? In my defence, I had a Nationals jazz festival, and half-yearlies to study for.

This chapter is boring but necessary exposition. It needs to be said here. Don't worry. Next chapter, you'll be getting your wonderful Greed-ler with his money-green suit and he'll be a ball. The oncest begins from here on out.

Writing plot-driven stories are hard, dammit.


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